


A Study in Poison

by tighthae



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 16:37:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16162751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tighthae/pseuds/tighthae
Summary: If Ten was allowed to bring a wardrobe to his university it would be full of his different faces.





	A Study in Poison

**Author's Note:**

> found this in my drafts idk where i was going with this and probably might complete it if I can think of a coherent plot and ending but i still wanted to post it bc I liked how the first chapter was written its not proofread so dont get ur hopes up for amazing grammar and punctuation

“Be humble but always strive for number one. Be handsome enough to be admired but not beautiful enough to intimidate. Let people find comfort in your embrace but never trust anyone. Always have a smile on your face and never reveal your weaknesses. Do that and your father will treat you like one of his own. Can you do that for me? You’re my son. I know you can.” 

That speech was engraved into Ten’s mind. It echoed through the little spaces his head left while the other places were filled with academic nonsense. His mother recited it to the point of tradition. But, once Ten entered high school, his mom had stopped. Ten assumed that fifteen years of the routine was enough for Ten to know it by rote. So it surprised him when his mother began to recite it as she was brushing his hair before his graduation ceremony. The symbolism was fairly obvious. Now that he was going out on his own, his mother wanted to send him off with one last reminder. His father would always be watching. Ten knew. If he wanted his father’s approval and the right to a fraction of his immense fortune, he’d have to continue to stay on top of things. It was sad, really. The years after high school are supposed to be about freedom and discovery. Ten was confined to his facade once more. His 1st day of primary school was no different than his 2nd at university.

As expected, Ten got accepted into university of his choice. He had the money, he had the grades, he had the extracurricular activities, and he had that reputation. Being in the 1% made everything so easy. Although, the obstacles were starting to pile up and one of them took a very physical form. If only people were as disposable as money, he would’ve gotten rid of him a very long time ago.

“Ten!” Mark shoved Ten forward, glad to see his friend after the holiday break. “How’d you do on the finals? I’m only asking out of obligation, by the way. We all know how it went.”

“Well, if you know how well I did why don’t I just ask you about your score?” Ten nudged Mark’s side and put on a playful smile. Ten already knew the answer to his own question. Mark was the type to cram then only remember bits and piece of vital information. It was enough to pass.

“Well, I passed. Passing is good, right? Once you get into university there’s no need to worry about grades is there? Because, like, you don’t need to go anywhere else after this, dude. I mean, you gotta get a job or whatever but there’s not transition from university to some super university. But, now that I think about it, super university wouldn’t be such a bad-”

“I get it, Mark,” Ten held his hand up to Mark’s face as the made their way down the corridor. It was still getting dark early and the sunlight that filtered through the hallway was the pale yellow Ten liked to look out. “You need to fix your habit of rambling.” Ten made sure to make the statement only slightly passive aggressive. He didn’t completely dislike Mark, yet. 

“Why does it annoy you?” Mark asked, poking Ten’s cheek. “Anyway, Jungwoo invited you to this welcome back party thing tonight. You coming? Or are you gonna be busy studying or whatever.” 

“I’ll come,” For obligatory socialization and schmoozing. “I don’t just sit on my ass and study all day, fucker,” Ten lightly punched Mark in the gut. “Do I need to bring something for entry? I don’t have anything on me.”

“If you weren’t Jungwoo’s friend then yes, but, fortunately, you are. So, you don’t need to bring any alcohol or drugs or anything just have Jungwoo call you if the guys guarding the door give you a bad time. It’s gonna be at Jungwoo’s place, by the way,” Mark patted Ten on the back rapidly. “Anyways, I gotta go get ready. You better come, dude.”

Ten gave Mark a smile and a wave as he dashed down the hallway. Once he was out of sight, Ten rubbed the spot where Mark had poked his cheat and wiped the palms of his hands on his jeans. “You better come, dude,” Ten mumbled under his breath. “I’ve got shit to do!” He whispered. But, he should go. Ten contemplated the values of socializing in college while he made his way back to the dorms. It was useful to have friends in college, obviously. Being able to share answers and hold study groups with people that are comfortable with you, and not necessarily vice versa, is always a positive. On the other hand, you have people who will always bug you to allow them to copy the answers. It was a toss up for Ten. The semester had just started so there wasn’t too much to lose. The positives and the negatives were balanced in Ten’s eyes, he was going to go the party. Going to the event and enjoying the even are too very seperate things.

-

“I didn’t even need directions this place draws way too much fucking attention to itself,” Ten said through his teeth as he walked up Jungwoo’s pathway. Jungwoo’s house was just outside of the college town so, of course, the only logical thing to do with something in the vicinity is throw a party in it. Ten would usually walk on the lawn just to piss the owner of a house off but it was littered with empty solo cups and beer bottles and whatever else party goers pollute the earth with. A semi-deflated swimming pool was sitting a little further away from the doorstep with, what Ten presumed to be, the security guard taking a break in it. Easy access and no interaction, just Ten’s style. 

It looked like Ten had arrived a little late to the party. Everything was already in full swings. People were making a full of themselves, drunk, dancing on the furniture, with toilet paper strung everywhere. Beside the stairwell a group of people were playing spin the bottle while the people who got their match were making out on the stairwell. It would be a pain in the ass to get to the bathroom so Ten made a mental note not drink anything and made sure to die of dehydration. The kitchen was, most likely, the least chaotic place. It might’ve been due to the fact that someone had decided to back edibles but it was better than being surrounded by a pack of idiots hyenas. From the kitchen Ten got a good look of the backyard. It seemed to look similar to the living room but with florescent lighting and less restrictions on throwing up. At least no one was doing it in the pool.  
“Ten!” A shrill voice attacked from behind equipped with a back hug. “I’m so glad you made it! Mark said he told you that Jungwoo invited you but, honestly, we didn’t think you’d come!”

Ten turned around to face the owner of the squeal. “Jimin!” He exclaimed, matching her enthusiasm vocally and physically. He went in for a warm hug as he beamed. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Haven’t seen you since you were stressing out over your midterms.” 

“Yea,” Jimin laughed. “You know me. Relaxing the entire time, suppressing all the stress, then releasing it all at once during a crisis. I did okay though. I’m surprised. I really thought I’d have to become a sugar baby or something, you know?” Jimin held out a dessert for Ten to take. “Brownie? They were just sitting on the counter and no one was eating them!” 

Ten widened his eyes in feigned shock. “Really? I wonder why? I’m good though, thanks. You enjoy those brownies to your heart’s content. I heard you don’t really get the true chocolatey taste until your sixth or seventh one. Could be a rumor though. But, knowing you, you’d stress about not taking the opportunity or whatever.” Ten gave a small laugh.

Jimin thought the joke was hilarious as she bursted into laughter, furiously slapping Ten’s arm. “You’re right, that is so me! Anyway,” Jimin took a bite of the brownie. “I’m assuming you’re looking for Jungwoo, right? He’s in the backyard by the cooler. He’s regulating all the alcohol. And by regulating I mean he’s giving people more bottles to empty into their cups or whatever.” 

“Alright, thanks!” Ten smiled. “Remember what I said about those brownies, okay?” Jimin nodded her head to confirm understanding and waved to Ten as he made his way to the backyard. “God, she’s so annoying. I bet it’s because her voice sounds like that,” Ten grumbled as he bit his nail. Ten rubbed his arm in displeasure, thinking about how hard Jimin his it. “No one told her to act like a goddamn monkey,” Ten is very aware of his surroundings, most of the time. Bumping into people means you have to put on your best customer service voice and accept their apology even if it was their fucking fault. That was just the societal norm and Ten hated it. Rather than openly ate it and draw attention to himself, he just decided to avoid getting into those types of situations all together. So, he hasn’t bumped into someone accidentally for a few years now. His unlucky streak started today. “What the fuck!” Ten now smelled like alcohol which was disgusting since alcohol smelled like moldy bread.

“Oh, uh, sorry about that,” The culprit wasn’t much taller than him. “I wasn’t looking.”

“Yea, obviously, dumb ass,” Ten patted his shirt, hoping that the stench wouldn’t spread. “Watch where you fucking going next time, okay?” 

“Woah, I already apologize-”

“Fuck off,” Ten said through gritted teeth. “I hope you’re rich buddy because I’m making you pay the dry cleaners’ fee,” Ten looked up to face the culprit and to use his, impeccable, memory to burn an image his face into his memory storage. His face was distinct enough. Like most people, he was taller than Ten but only by a small amount and his face was pretty enough to recognize. A symmetrical nose that could be, objectively, categorized as perfect; his eyebrows were tilted upward, ever so slightly, to give off an intimidating look; his lips were full and drew attention away from his eyes which were nothing special. Ten still thought he was better looking. “I haven’t seen you around here before. I’ll let you off the hook this one time. But you better count your blessings.” Ten went back to assessing the damage that had been done to his shirt. 

“I get a feeling you’re not that well liked around here.” The boy replied.

“Actually, contrary to what you want to believe, I’m one of the most beloved person on this fucking campus. So let’s see to it that you never go around with a twisted mindset like that, okay?” Ten snapped. “Anyway, what’s your name. You’re good looking so you’ll probably popular within the week. I didn’t know this university accepted mid-year transfers, assuming that we’re the same age. I’m Ten, by the way.”

“I’m Taeyong,” Taeyong looked a bit weary to introduce himself after Ten’s outburst. “I’m majoring in-”

“Are you majoring in anything related to bioengineering?”

“No, zoology actually. Also, I didn’t transfer. Also, I’ve been here since the start of freshman year-” Taeyong said.

“Good, then you and I are gonna get along just fine. As long as you don’t pull another little stunt like this again.”

“It wasn’t my fault-” 

“Enjoy the party and if you see a short girl high out of her mind make sure she doesn’t get into too much trouble, okay?” Ten walked away, leaving Taeyong in the dust. Taeyang wasn’t a threat because he wouldn’t be anywhere near his friend circle. He can continued as planned. Due to the incident, Ten wasn’t able to take in the scenery like he wanted to. The backyard was pretty in a sort of makeshift way. Maybe cozy was the right word. Dozens of trees lined the fence with branches carrying Christmas lights that were put upon them. Ten liked the color the lights gave off in contrast to the blackness from beyond the leaves, it reminded him of the colors of all the alcohols in his father’s liquor cabinet. Just before the tree’s sat Jungwoo and his circle of friends, which were Ten’s friends by association. “Jungwoo!” Ten called, plastering a smile onto his face. 

“Ten!” Jungwoo quickly looked up and spotted his dearest friend waving at him from darkness. “You came!” Jungwoo began jumping up and down while waving, regulators weren’t supposed to enjoy their stash. 

“Surprise!” Ten laughed as he ran the few feet that separated them. As usual, Mark, Doyoung, Sicheng, and Johnny were within arms length. A pack of idiot dogs. “I didn’t have anything to do. This was the third best thing to do tonight.”

“Wow. I’m the third option?” Jungwoo cupped his face with his hands. “Who’s this second option that stole my Ten away from me?” Ten had to refrain from clawing his eardrum out when Jungwoo switched to his, so called, cute voice.

“Sleep,” Ten shrugged and pretended like his own joke was funny. Jungwoo thought It was hilarious and so did the rest of the crew. Monkey see, monkey do. “What are you guys doing all the way out here? It’s getting really lively in the living room.”

“We’re handing out drinks.” Doyoung replied. It was weird, Ten didn’t remember directing a questions toward him. Even if he did, it was clearly a rhetorical question seeing as Johnny was sitting atop the cooler.

“I know that,” Ten forced out a laugh. “But why all the way out here? Also, are there people doing acid out here?” Ten gestured to the various people either spread out on their backs trying to grasp the cosmos or the ones who looked like they were on a safari adventure.

“I don’t know,” Jungwoo shrugged. “If they’re having fun it’s none of my concern. We’re out here because when people want to refill their drinks they have to walk across the entire yard which will sober them up a bit. If a cop crashes we want everyone to be on top of their game.”

Ten nodded slowly, acting like the information was the most delicate and intricate piece of knowledge he had learned. “That’s a great idea? Which one of you came up with. I know it wasn’t Doyoung.”

“Me.” Johnny raised his hand.

“Didn’t expect that from him either,” Ten laughed. Johnny’s face contradicted his actions and he laughed with in sync with Johnny. “So were just hanging out here for the night or what? I didn’t come here to just sit on an icebox and chat.”

“Then get drunk and chat at the same time?” Jungwoo tapped the ice chest he was leaning against. “I’ll skip all the how was your summer and how you did on the test bullshit. We all know you did great and well all know that you just went home and had a great time in that palace of yours. Moving on to more current news, did you see that really cute guy walking back? Taeyong. Red hair, clear skin, super cute. He said he’s been coming here since freshman year but I don’t remember seeing him. And, trust me, I would’ve seen him.”

“Yea, I saw him,” Ten nodded. “He seemed like an okay guy. He’s majoring in zoology or something. You think he wants to pick up animal shit for a living or something? I don’t know what you do with a degree in zoos or whatever.” 

“You can do that?” Mark asked. “I should’ve done that, what the hell.” He looked visibly disappointed.

“You’re a freshman, you can always change majors if you don’t like what you’re doing right now,” Jungwoo put a hand on Mark’s knee and gave him a smile. Which instantly put Mark in a better mood. Ten tried not let his annoyance overtake his face muscles. Ten doesn’t know how much longer he’d be able to take this. It must be nice, being good at everything and having everyone around you instantly become infatuated. Ten could do that if he wanted to, of course, but with the added pressure of not being rich in the future it was hard to do the things he was capable of. 

It’s always been like this though, Ten wasn’t really sure why it upset him so much in their 2nd year of college. Jungwoo was all the star. The good looking guy, the athlete, top of the class, and the most charismatic person Ten had ever seen. He was also a detriment to Ten’s future and a nuisance to have to follow around. Ten has always been second best. Even if he was first he was always second best. At this point in their education, Ten far exceeded anything Jungwoo was able to do academically. But, for some reason, Jungwoo still had the social sphere. He had the network that Ten needed. It would’ve been easy to have connections if his dad wasn’t a stingy bastard, going as far as to not even mention his existence to the people who worked here. Getting to the top wouldn’t work but just outright telling people he was the son of a multimillionaire alumni. His father valued cleverness and a silver tongue. Jungwoo has access to the people Ten needed. The only way for Ten to use his skills was to be close to Jungwoo even if it killed him. Always have a smile on your face and never reveal your weakness. Ten values that rule the most.

“Earth to Ten,”’Jungwoo was waving his hand in front of Ten’s face. “You spaced out there for a bit,” He smiles while holding out a can of beer. “Drink one, relax a bit. You’re always so uptight. Just unwind a little. It’ll be good for you. Start off the semester stress free.” Ten was socially obligated to take the can and drink it even thought he hated the taste of beer. He had to fit in with the rest of them. At least it was a suppressant. Ten could actually tolerate the bunch when he was under the influence. It was nice. It was like he actually had friends for once. Living the real college experience for a brief second was fun. 

-

Ten was having second thoughts on the whole college experience thing. Drinking and getting along with his classmates was fun. Getting cross faded was really fun. But the morning after wasn’t worth it. This would be the last time Ten would do something like that. It would’ve been better if he had just studied like his dad was expecting him too. Ten doesn’t remember the end of the night too well, but from what he could piece together Jungwoo had called an uber to come pick him up. Another perk of having friends in high places. They would do anything to make sure their little posse was safe. 

Ten managed to get out of bed into a cold shower with all the strength of his ancestors combined. Ten didn’t really take a shower to get clean, it’s not like he rolled around and dirt like Yuta would. He just needed to drink away the hangover and the shower was the closest water source he had. It would also help if he could get the bags from out of his eyes, Ten almost jumped walking passed the mirror. Ten was also late, he was sure of it, the sun was already in the middle of the sky and class usually started with it just below the zenith. Lucky for Ten, he hadn’t been late to class ever so he would just make up an excuse about a family member dying since his eyes were already baggy.

Stepping onto the campus quad, Ten surveyed his surroundings. There we too many people out and about right now. Before noon hit everyone was still sleeping or already in a class. Now people would want to say hi to him and Ten doesn’t know if he can handle any socialization right now. Putting on his sunglasses, Ten hoped that this would make it awkward for someone who mad eye contact with him. They wouldn’t know if he was staring or not. 

“Ten!” A familiar voice screamed. Someone placed their arm around his shoulder and Ten was forced to comply with the situation. “Dude, you got fucking smashed last night. I didn’t know you could dance like that.”

Ten hadn’t been aware that Yuta was at the party. If he knew, he definitely wouldn’t have come. If you’re already liked by the general public, then the next step would be considering getting an equally liked partner. You don’t have to date this person but you do have to let people tease you and while you lead them on. Unfortunately for Ten, the person he had to shack up with was with Yuta. An overly energetic, overly touchy, overly flirty, and overly confident kind of guy. But, he was popular. That’s all that matter to Ten. Yuta knew a lot of people who could be useful to Ten. His dad had majored in bioengineering at this same college so Ten had to keep the guy in arms length. This also means making out with him from time to time. “Hey, Yuta,” Ten looked at him and smiled. “I didn’t know you were going to the party. You should’ve told me.” Ten pouted. 

Yuta grabbed Ten’s chin and shook it. “Aww, you’re so cute when you’re angry. That’s why I like you so much. I was trying to convince Jungwoo that it was okay for you to crash at my place but he loves his little Ten so much,” For once, Jungwoo was useful. “He thinks I don’t like you that much either. It’s a shame.” 

“I’d love to stay and chat with you,” Ten began as his building came into his field of vision. “But I’m already an hour later for the class and it’s gonna be embarrassing if more late than I already am. I’ll see you later, okay?’ Ten pretended like he didn’t see Yuta lean in for a kiss and turned on his heels as quickly as he could. Yuta could wait but BIOE 80 couldn’t

Adorning his face with the most convincing frown he could muster, Ten pushed the doors to lecture hall open. As expected, all eyes were on him now. Ten quickly walked down the two flights of stairs he needed to reach the middle of the classroom and sat next to Jungwoo; he threw in a few sobs while descending the stairs so everyone would get the message. It seemed to work since the professor picked up where he left off. Most people around him seemed to be too uncomfortable with his current state to look at him and the minority give him sympathetic glances. Mission accomplished. 

Ten didn’t bother trying to jot down the rest of the lesson since Jungwoo would already have one of his lackeys have a notebook prepared just for him. As his closet associate, Jungwoo would definitely allow Ten to have a look. Ten wished he had lackeys, it would be so much easier to be on top of the food chain if people wanted to do things for him but his true personality would get the better of him. Now that Ten thinks about it, wasn’t Jungwoo just as bad as him for having lackeys? Jungwoo wasn’t a complete idiot, he didn’t need to have anyone do the work for him. I guess Ten was better in that way. 

Because he wasn’t paying attention, the lesson seemed to drag on for hours. Technically, it did last for a few hours but Ten could feel the essence of time move by slower than usual because he was stuck in the middle of this crestfallen facade. Like any good friend would, Jungwoo picked up the cue that Ten wouldn’t lift his head up from the safety of his arm until everyone left the lecture hall. Once the area was evacuated, Ten lifted his head and adjusted his sunglasses. Jungwoo made a gesture for Ten to hold his hand. Even though he lamented the action, Ten went along with it.

Is there a better place to talk about your personal problems that isn’t a public school bathroom? No, there isn’t and that’s exactly what Ten was doing. At least the information he was giving was fake. It made it less dramatic in Ten’s eyes. “What’s wrong, Ten?” Jungwoo frowned and took off Ten’s glasses, gasping when he saw the state that Ten’s facial features were in. Anyone would’ve put 2 and 2 together by now that Ten’s eyes were the aftermath of the party but maybe Jungwoo just wanted to believe Ten was miserable. “Your eyes. They-”

“Terrible? I know” Ten let a hollow laugh escape his mouth. This was the first time Ten could actually use that type of laugh, there were lots of situations where he would’ve preferred to use that one over any other one he would vocalize. “It’s just,” Ten sighed. “Family problems, you know? My uncle died last night and I just found out this morning through a text that was sent to me last night. It’s not a big deal. I’ll be fine. Just let me freshen up, okay?” Jungwoo nodded and left the bathroom. Ten used the mirror to see if he was truly out of sight. “Fucking idiot,” He mumbled under his breath. Ten was just going to have to go around looking like this all day since he didn’t bring his makeup with him. Jungwoo really had a hard time putting 2 and 2 together, Ten decided. 

“Is that how you treat your friends?” Someone had stepped out of the stall.

For a moment, genuine shock and a little fear ran through Ten’s body. When the mirror revealed to Ten that it was just Taeyong, Ten returned to his normal state. “Oh, it’s just you,” Ten sighed. “What are you doing in this building? Animals aren’t a medicinal practice the last time I checked.” 

“Yea, well, the bathrooms in our building are being renovated so tough shit, dude,” Taeyong replied. “You looked scared for a second there.” Taeyong said.

“For a second,” Ten clarified. “I would’ve just said I was talking to myself for not being able to respond to my uncle’s text. Easy fix. Don’t get too ahead of yourself, bud,” Ten turned around. “And don’t get any ideas about telling my friends about how I act when they’re not around because it’ll just hurt you in the end. I’m saying this as a kindness and not as warning. So, let’s not have too many complications this year, okay?” Ten smiled.


End file.
